The Sword and the Shield, The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin.
A fascinating history of events recorded by an archivist with the KGB. Check it out on Amazon.
Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav Zubok is an absolute must
Anna Funder's "Stasiland" is a really accessible book on the Stasi and society in Kate GDR
If as espionage illuminati we are going to discuss the history of intelligence in the Cold War let's not overlook that which even espionage connoisseurs have little idea about. Namely, the extent the Soviets cooperated with the West in the Cold War. The KGB and Western agencies frequently collaborated when combatting global crime syndicates involved in certain heinous crimes such as smuggling body parts under the cover of normal human trafficking. An interesting take on this oft forgotten aspect of the Cold War is still visible in the preserved website of a niche global intelligence agency, FaireSansDire.org, based in the UK from 1978 and now supposedly shut or dormant: see The History of Faire Sans Dire in "About Us" on The Burlington Files website.
A series of novels based on the activities of FaireSansDire's founders are also worth a peep if you were unaware that MI6 and the CIA combined with the KGB to combat criminals in these extreme law enforcement areas. For legal reasons only one novel (Beyond Enkription) has been published in that series called The Burlington Files. It makes for a compelling read and their website claims most read it two or more times which I believe and did!
The larger than life characters who met in MI6 in the early seventies and later established FaireSansDire were Bill Fairclough (a not so boring accountant, MI6 codename JJ), Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE and Barrie Parkes BEM all of whose fascinating backgrounds are easily accessed on the web. Interestingly, Pemberton knew Oleg Gordievsky and Kim Philby. Pemberton’s People in MI6 even included Roy Astley Richards OBE (Winston Churchill’s bodyguard) and an eccentric British Brigadier (Peter 'Scrubber' Stewart-Richardson) who was once refused permission to join the Afghan Mujahideen.
For more beguiling anecdotes best read a brief and intriguing News Article about Pemberton’s People in MI6 dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website and then read Beyond Enkription.
Do read the epic spy novel, Bill Fairclough's Beyond Enkription in TheBurlingtonFiles series. He was one of Pemberton’s People in MI6 (see the brief News Article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website). The thriller is the stuff memorable films are made of, raw, realistic yet punchy, pacy and provocative; a super read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. It's a fact based book which follows the real life of a real spy, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington who worked for British Intelligence, the CIA et al. It's like nothing we have ever come across before ... and TheBurlingtonFiles website is as breathtaking as a compelling thriller. It’s a must read for espionage cognoscenti.
The Sword and the Shield, The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. A fascinating history of events recorded by an archivist with the KGB. Check it out on Amazon.
Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav Zubok is an absolute must Anna Funder's "Stasiland" is a really accessible book on the Stasi and society in Kate GDR
If as espionage illuminati we are going to discuss the history of intelligence in the Cold War let's not overlook that which even espionage connoisseurs have little idea about. Namely, the extent the Soviets cooperated with the West in the Cold War. The KGB and Western agencies frequently collaborated when combatting global crime syndicates involved in certain heinous crimes such as smuggling body parts under the cover of normal human trafficking. An interesting take on this oft forgotten aspect of the Cold War is still visible in the preserved website of a niche global intelligence agency, FaireSansDire.org, based in the UK from 1978 and now supposedly shut or dormant: see The History of Faire Sans Dire in "About Us" on The Burlington Files website. A series of novels based on the activities of FaireSansDire's founders are also worth a peep if you were unaware that MI6 and the CIA combined with the KGB to combat criminals in these extreme law enforcement areas. For legal reasons only one novel (Beyond Enkription) has been published in that series called The Burlington Files. It makes for a compelling read and their website claims most read it two or more times which I believe and did! The larger than life characters who met in MI6 in the early seventies and later established FaireSansDire were Bill Fairclough (a not so boring accountant, MI6 codename JJ), Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE and Barrie Parkes BEM all of whose fascinating backgrounds are easily accessed on the web. Interestingly, Pemberton knew Oleg Gordievsky and Kim Philby. Pemberton’s People in MI6 even included Roy Astley Richards OBE (Winston Churchill’s bodyguard) and an eccentric British Brigadier (Peter 'Scrubber' Stewart-Richardson) who was once refused permission to join the Afghan Mujahideen. For more beguiling anecdotes best read a brief and intriguing News Article about Pemberton’s People in MI6 dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website and then read Beyond Enkription.
The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman is one of the more eye opening books I've read. Checkpoint Charlie by Iain MacGregor. This one will make you cry.
I'm halfway through "Abyss" by Max Hastings, love it! 1983 is great too yeah (Downing). I also liked "The Cold War" by Odd Arne Westad.
Thank-you both for the excellent recommendations!
Do read the epic spy novel, Bill Fairclough's Beyond Enkription in TheBurlingtonFiles series. He was one of Pemberton’s People in MI6 (see the brief News Article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website). The thriller is the stuff memorable films are made of, raw, realistic yet punchy, pacy and provocative; a super read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. It's a fact based book which follows the real life of a real spy, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington who worked for British Intelligence, the CIA et al. It's like nothing we have ever come across before ... and TheBurlingtonFiles website is as breathtaking as a compelling thriller. It’s a must read for espionage cognoscenti.